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History of Highway 101 Through the Redwoods

Humboldt's Scenic Drive Through the Redwoods is Still the Greatest

Redwoods and Scenery Along the Avenue of the Giants

Highway 101 is the route to take to enjoy awesome scenery of Northern California. The drive north through southern Humboldt County follows the Eel River with the Redwoods on the left and “Avenue of the Giants”, the old US Highway 101, on the right. The tall Redwood trees east of the river are part of Blair Grove, at the southern edge of Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The park includes 52,000 acres, over 17,000 acres of which are giant redwood trees and old-growth redwood forest. In December of 1964, a huge flood submerged both roads under water. The high-water mark of the flood that destroyed the nearby towns of Myers Flat and Miranda can be seen on a sign about ten feet above the highway.

A Young Road Through An Old Forest

In 1920 a brochure about Humboldt County documented the “recently completed highway south to San Francisco and a road being considered going north toward Oregon.” US 101 is a youngster among highways winding through the world’s oldest Redwood trees.

Harper Makes the First Road Trip on Highway 101 Through the Redwoods

Harvey G. Harper, a man as young as the road, tells about his father, Harvey M. Harper, who drove the first car through the redwoods to Eureka in the winter of 1912. There were times when the elder Harper literally carved out the road with a shovel around giant redwoods so his Model T Ford could pass over the rutted, muddy trail that served as Highway 101 at the time.

Picnics in the Redwoods when Automobiles were outlawed on Highway 101

Harvey G. Harper was born in Eureka six years after the family arrived. He remembers traveling to picnics at Twin Trees south of Benbow as a child. His father navigated the US 101 dirt and gravel road south from Eureka. When they arrived for lunch, the family, picnic gear and the car were all covered in dust. “My mother said she could never live in southern Humboldt - it was too dusty!” Harper recalled. “Further south, Mendocino County even had a law against automobiles for awhile, when noisy engines spooked horses. Also, my father sold tractors and road equipment to the highway 101 crews that improved the road over the years. It was tough country, and they went through a lot of equipment to build the road back then.”

Where to Find Original and Historic Stretches of the Original Highway 101

Harper’s, memories provide an appreciation for “The Alignment” - a phrase he uses for both the gigantic task of improving the highway, and also for historic sections of US 101, like the College of the Redwoods access road, which was once the main highway. Another old section is the abandoned mountain road between Ukiah and Willits, Harper said, “You could get stuck behind a truck for what seemed like forever.” In those times the drive between Eureka and San Francisco drive was a twelve-hour ordeal of driving slowly through the Redwood forests.

Highway 101 Now takes Half as Long to Drive from San Francisco to Eureka

The drive from San Francisco to Eureka’s Humboldt Bay takes less than six hours these days, if you’re in a hurry. The best way to approach it though, is slowly. It’s one of the most beautiful highways in the world, so start early, and take plenty of time to enjoy the views. This is where the scenic Eel River and the Redwoods meet along the Avenue of the Giants. Enjoy the solitude of an ancient Redwood forest grove. You’ll whisper a prayer of thanks for Rivers, Redwoods and the time to enjoy them.

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